Monteverde Costa Rica is situated straddling the Continental Divide at 4662 feet above sea level. This area is known as the Santa Elena and Monteverde Cloud forest area. This is designated as tropical forest area and one of the most outstanding wildlife refuges in the tropics. Come see the beauty of Monteverde and fall in love with nature.
Resorts in Monteverde
In Monteverde Costa Rica, you will find several resorts of note in the area. One of these is the El Establo Mountain Hotel in Monteverde. This resort contains 155 rooms, tennis and basketball, swimming pools, a gym and spa and two restaurants as well as a canopy tour. Vista Verde Resort is another fine example of the resorts in the area. Vista Verde is situated in one for the most remote and primitive areas of Monteverde. It has a commanding view of the Arenal Volcano. This resort offers double rooms with a bar and restaurant and is wheelchair accessible. Tabacon Grand Spa is another resort that is a five star resort at the foot of the Arenal Volcano. It boasts 103 rooms and 11 suites with partial volcano, garden or forest views.
What You Can See
Monteverde Costa Rica has a wide biodiversity of mammals and birds in the ecosystem. You can see beautiful canopies and varieties of wildlife not found elsewhere. There are also other interesting places to see such as the Arenal Volcano, Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and Ranario Monteverde. Ranario Monteverde displays 25 unique species of frog found in the area and native to Costa Rica. Another item of note is the Bat Jungle, in Monteverde. This was created to show and raise awareness of the importance of bats to the ecology.
Activities in Monteverde
Monteverde Costa Rica has many activities to do. There are many different tours such as the Coffee Tour, the Monteverde Cheese Factory or any of the tours that are offered. There are day tours such as horseback riding at Finca El Rodeo or Canopy tours in Selvatura. There are also activities such as bird watching and ATV tours. This is an adrenaline pumping ride. Hanging bridges is another activity of choice. There are also other sights to see such as the Orchid Garden and the Hummingbird gallery.
Parks to Go To
Monteverde Costa Rica has several parks and preserves in the area. The Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Santa Elena Cloud Forest are two of note here. The Monteverde Forest is a private reserve and it contains six different ecological zones. The Santa Elena Forest is state owned preserve that straddles the Continental Divide. This park contains 7 miles of trails and a canopy observation tower. One other park of note is the Bajo del Tigre. This is a very different habitat than the other rain forest habitats in the area, making it unique. This particular park is a transition zone from one zone to another.
Hotels in the Area
Monteverde Costa Rica has many different hotels to serve the area. One of note is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge, which is located in Puntarenas. This is four hours from San Jose. It is situated on seventy acres of private property with private trails for bird watching and hiking. Another one of note is Hotel Belmar. This is nestled in the mountains of Monteverde and is close to hotspots such as the Hidden Valley Trail and the Butterfly garden. Our last hotel of note is the Monteverde Lodge. This hotel is situated near the Cloud Forest. This hotel is committed to keeping environmental impact low by adopting solar heat and recycling.
How to Get There
Monteverde Costa Rica can be accessed by car from San Jose by driving. There are also buses from San Jose that go to Monteverde running at either 6:30 am or 2:30 pm. The cost is $5. It can also be accessed from the areas of Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Southern Pacific, La Fortuna and Tilaran. These buses leave at different times and you will need to check the bus schedule for each particular area that is heading to Monteverde Costa Rica. Travel times vary from bus to bus and can run from two hours to over 8 hours in duration.
